


The Right Way Around

by cityinlights



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:16:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cityinlights/pseuds/cityinlights
Summary: "She's a witch."That is the only description Lucina has of the girl in the house with the red door at the end of her street. When Lucina finally sees the red-haired girl's form vaulting over her fence later that night, it is those words that linger in her mind.





	The Right Way Around

**Author's Note:**

> I often desired in the past to write a story about these two. Life is about following after those desires sometimes, so here you go. Please enjoy!

_“She’s a witch.”_

  
It was the first description Lucina had of the girl who lived at the end of the street, given to her by Kjelle over a spar unfinished. She had never seen the girl before, though she walked by the red-shingled roof every day from school to home. The girl was two or three school grades lower than both Kjelle and Lucina, which may have explained not knowing her in such a small town. That was only built upon by the fact that the girl had stopped coming to school. The mythos behind the girl who talked to no one only grew, and spiraled into legend.

  
Lucina had heard of her before, in passing. Severa’s mother had been a guard in their household years ago, before she moved on to become a soldier in the provincial army. Lucina’s father was a high-ranking general in the army and by sheer gossip, Lucina often heard discussions of Lieutenant Cordelia. She was a war hero, they said. Brightest in her unit—and she had saved Lucina’s father's life once.

  
“But her daughter’s a witch,” Kjelle said with a snort when Lucina brought up Cordelia. “Other than the daughter of the witch-witch—you know, the creepy lady with the black hair on the outskirts of town—Severa doesn’t talk to anyone.”

  
“Maybe because no one talks to her,” Lucina mused thoughtfully as the two of them put away their practice swords.

  
“I heard she broke Brady’s arm when he did try,” Kjelle retorted. Lucina frowned at that. Brady had a rough exterior, but he wasn't capable of even hurting a mouse.

  
When Lucina finally did see the red-haired girl’s form vaulting over the back fence later that night, it was those words that lingered in her mind. The limbs came first, before the red hair, a light thud against the soft soil by the back fence. It was by chance, perhaps, that Lucina had been outside at all that night. Chrom was not home and her butler Frederick was fastidiously cleaning the study for her father’s return later that week. Rather than stay indoors to smell the cleaning supplies, Lucina opted to sit on the drooping branch of her father’s old orange tree.

  
It was by chance at all that Lucina was hidden from her view behind the heavy overgrowth of leaves on this ancient orange tree.

  
Severa was smaller than Lucina had imagined her, her frame wiry and her height marked her as shorter than the fence. For all that, Severa’s landing was impressive and Lucina found herself staring when the girl straightened up from her nonchalant jump over a five foot wall. Her hands brushed away any dirt caught on her knees. For the most part, Severa seemed unbothered by the fact that she had made such a tremendous jump. Lucina thought her ankles would have been sore.

  
“Score,” the girl muttered with a small smirk to no one in particular. Lucina shrunk closer to the tree trunk, hiding as best she could when the girl walked up to the base of the tree and stared up. She didn’t look directly at Lucina, opting instead for a particular branch off to the right of Lucina. Lucina watched amazed as the girl clambered up the tree with surprising dexterity to the branch just below Lucina’s. Before Lucina could think to warn her, the girl was already reaching up to Lucina’s branch and pulling herself up.

  
Red eyes met Lucina’s blue ones when her face appeared just above the branch and Severa’s pleased face broke into a bright flush and confusion. Lucina saw her fingers slip and her body jerked forward without thinking. Lucina immediately reached out and over the branch to clutch at the girl’s hand. Lucina overestimated her own position, however. In a matter of seconds, Lucina felt her body yank over the edge. Her legs had no grip to keep them both upright. Lucina and Severa could only look at each other before they both hit the ground in a huge thud.

  
Lucina thought she heard something break—a sharp crack, when her body landed atop Severa’s smaller form.

  
One of them must have screamed, because in a matter of seconds, the back door of the estate slammed open with a great rush and Frederick ran huffing into her view. Lucina gingerly felt Frederick lifting her up and off the other girl with surprising strength for the older man. At his side, her father’s head of research and Lucina’s tutor Miriel bent down to inspect Severa.

  
Severa both yelped and scowled at the same time when Miriel lifted her right arm gingerly and Lucina felt her stomach churning when she saw the arm bend at a strange angle. “This arm is not angled as it should be, so it’s a fair inference to make that the arm is broken,” Miriel stated.

  
“I could have told you that,” Severa snapped at her, pulling her arm as best she could away from the sharp-eyed woman’s grip. “Thanks for breaking it even more, sheesh. Are you insane?”

  
Miriel lifted her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. “Simply lifting your arm will not break it more.”

  
“You’re not the one with a broken arm, so shut up.” Severa’s head swiveled to face Lucina’s abruptly, glaring at her with fierce red eyes that Lucina was surprised to see. “You! What were you doing there!?”

  
“Excuse me, young lady,” Frederick interrupted. “This is Lady Lucina’s father’s estate. She has every right to be there!”

  
“Not hiding behind branches where no one can see her!”

  
“She has every right to be hiding wherever she wants to on this estate, young lady. Who are you? You did not come through the front gates, so by all means, please explain what gives you the right to intrude on our estate and yell at our lady.” Lucina thought Severa looked like she might explode. Her face was as red as her hair.

  
“Severa,” Lucina quickly interjected. “She—uhh—she and I were supposed to meet here. We’re friends from school. But I thought I’d scare her and—well, you see what happened.” Miriel and Frederick both stared at her sharply, and Lucina did her best to merely look down. She certainly was not watching Severa’s frown out of the corner of her eyes.

  
“How’d she get through without the guards noticing her?” Frederick asked, troubled.

  
“…Over the back fence,” Lucina answered meekly. She heard Severa sigh.

  
“The gates are spelled to disallow individuals from climbing them,” Miriel replied sternly. “How auspicious if a youth managed to climb them. I must double-check the runes and—“

  
“She jumped,” Lucina added. She knew Miriel. If Miriel though the spells were down—and Frederick agreed with her—there would be no end to the mages of her father’s estate going over every rune and every inch of the gates for holes. Only the best for Lord Chrom, as it were.

  
In spite of all the things they must have seen with her father, Lucina found both Frederick and Miriel exchange looks of surprise and curiosity as they both turned to look at the mildly annoyed girl.

  
“What?” Severa snapped. “I had to get here somehow, what with your insane spells.”

  
“You are quite a specimen,” Miriel remarked. “That is a five foot jump without any walls to assist you. I would be curious to study your jumping habits.”

  
“I’m not going to jump for you,” Severa retorted. Lucina hid a smile at that.

  
“Why all the secrecy?” Frederick demanded. “If she wanted to see Lucina, there was no need to enter this way. Lady Lucina’s friends are welcome in this home.”

  
Severa looked away, pretending to nurse her arm, as she seemed to consider what Frederick asked her. Lucina flushed. “Look, we—I wanted to meet her without the fuss and the—people, you know—“ Lucina stumbled as she tried to find an excuse. She had no clue why she was trying to help, but she supposed it was her fault Severa had fallen at all.

  
Miriel clicked her tongue suddenly. “Of course. The darkness creates an atmosphere and meeting alone at a tree such as this is a common denominator in such situations. Clandestine meetings are best conducted without others aware of it.

  
“What?” Frederick voiced as Lucina echoed and Severa stared.

  
“Why, youngsters are at an age where they are curious about the body and sexual stimulation and—“ Lucina thought she heard Frederick choke on air. Severa started, before wincing as she nursed her arm. Unperturbed, Miriel continued quite matter-of-fact. “--naturally, as a same-sex couple, there are matters of social norms that may have presented an obstacle for Lady Lucina. She has nothing to be ashamed of, as there are long precedents in history of same-sex attractions and --”

  
“Oh my gawds,” Severa muttered, her face redder than hair now. Lucina had suspicion that her own face was much the same.

  
“--for all that modern society may speak otherwise, it is not, what one should state as abnormal.” Lucina definitely thought she might faint when Miriel put a hand firmly on her shoulder. “Your father will unfortunately have to learn that Several made such an impressive jump over his fences unaided and was trespassing without our knowledge, but there is no need for illuminating details that are private. Correct, Frederick?”

  
Frederick was still choking on air when Miriel looked sharply at him. “R-right. I--we--I’ll go get Lady Lissa.” Miriel simply nodded before the man ran off in a rush.

  
Severa snorted. Miriel simply glanced at her, as if waiting for a response. “Stop staring at me,” Severa spoke warily. Sharply, she also turned to Lucina. “That goes for you as well!”

  
“My apologies,” Lucina quickly answered as she looked away from the girl's small face to the orange tree. She heard a strange sound and turned to see Miriel laughing. Miriel actually chuckled.

  
“I will leave you two to a private discussion until Lady Lissa arrives to nurse your friend’s arm. From my own experiences, I suspect that discussions between young lovers are best left alone between the two of them.”

  
“We are not--” Severa started before Lucina covered her mouth red-faced. Miriel simply walked off, more bemused than Lucina had ever seen her. When Lucina let go of her, Severa glared.

  
“What's your problem, princess?” Severa snapped. “We don't even know each other.”

  
“Your mother knows my father,” Lucina pointed out.

  
“Whoop-dee-fucking-doo, Cordelia knows Chrom!” Severa snapped. “That doesn't mean we know each other.”

  
“Look, I was trying to help,” Lucina retorted. “They would have turned you into the authorities and I didn't feel right about leaving a woman who saved my father's life to that.”

  
“I’m not my mother,” the girl answered with a scowl.

  
“Would you rather I have let you be arrested?” Lucina asked, exasperated. Severa seemed to seriously consider this alternative as she looked up at Lucina. _Unbelievable,_ thought Lucina.

  
“Fine. Thanks,” Severa finally answered. She suddenly smirked at Lucina with a wicked look and flipped one of her long pigtails over her shoulder with her left hand. “So does this make us girlfriends, princess? What was that about?”

  
Lucina felt her face go red. “My name is Lucina, not princess.” Severa’s eyebrows raised at that. “I--look--that was clearly a misunderstanding. But it got you out of trouble. I ran with it since Frederick didn't actually scold me for you sneaking in.”

  
“Whatever, Lucina,” Severa remarked, her laugh ringing out as she looked up at the night sky. Lucina realized that it was the first time she had seen the girl relax all night since she had started climbing the tree. It was the first time Severa had even acknowledged who she was.

  
“Why did you sneak in?” Lucina asked as she politely sat down next to the girl. Severa didn't seem to mind that she did so. The red-haired girl pointed with her left, unbroken arm at the orange tree.

  
“I wanted oranges.”

  
Lucina puzzled over that. “Why not ask?”

  
This seemed to puzzle Severa even more. “Would you have given me an orange if I asked?” Severa said sharply, the smile gone from her face. “We were strangers until we fell from that tree.”

  
“I think so,” Lucina answered genuinely after thinking. The tree had an abundant supply of oranges each winter. Her cousin Owain often took home a box for his mother and neighbors during the season. Severa blinked before looking away.

  
“Must be nice to be high up on your branch tossing oranges left and right.” Lucina hesitated, feeling the sarcasm in her tone.

  
“I didn't mean it like that,” Lucina murmured.

  
Severa didn't answer. Lucina felt the wind blowing across the blades of grass around them, and felt her hair blow into her own face. When the gust settled and she could finally brush her own hair out of her face again, she saw Severa looking up at the tree again, a distant look in her eyes.

  
Lucina stood up and quietly began climbing the tree again. “What are you doing?” Severa's voice called from behind. Lucina didn't answer as she pulled herself up like many times before. She reached the branch she had been sitting on before and sidled across it until she reached the far end, where a cluster of oranges were hanging. With relative ease, Lucina pulled the ripest looking orange from the branch and held it in the palm of her hand.

  
She peered down at Severa who had proceeded to frowning at her. “Can you catch with your left hand?” Lucina asked.

  
“Yes,” Severa answered. At that, Lucina tossed the orange down. Severa easily caught it without blinking. The girl’s red eyes watched as Lucina hopped off the tree branch to land on the ground.

  
Lucina smiled when she caught Severa staring after her landing. “I really meant it when I said I would give you an orange,” Lucina retorted to her look this time.

  
“Show-off,” Severa muttered as she looked down at her orange. Lucina couldn't help it. She glared at the girl.

  
“You're welcome!”

  
“That wasn't a thank you,” Severa remarked. She had proceeded to awkwardly jabbing her orange on her knee with her left hand. Lucina watched as the girl winced, trying to move her right hand closer to the orange. It took Lucina a few seconds to realize that the girl was struggling to peel her orange.

  
“Why don't you just ask for help if you need it?” Lucina asked softly, guilty still for breaking her arm. She reached out to pull the orange from Severa's hand and ignored the annoyed stare the girl gave her.

  
“Only someone who has people at their beck and call would say that,” Severa muttered. Lucina held up the unpeeled orange with a knowing look. “I was getting there!” Severa protested.

  
“You're welcome.” Lucina broke off a piece of the orange and held it out to Severa. Hesitantly, Severa took the orange from Lucina.

  
“...Thanks,” Severa said before eating the piece. Lucina watched as she carefully chewed the piece, as her hand went back to nursing the broken arm. “Good orange,” Severa finally added when she swallowed.

  
“My dad used to say a powerful mage put some kind of hex on the tree to make all the fruit sweet. Not sure how true that is.”

  
“My mom used to say that too,” Severa remarked. “Must’ve heard it from Chrom.” Lucina wondered how long Severa and she might have known each other had circumstances been different. Not even Kjelle or Owain had known of the tree’s magic.

  
“Of course, it would have been like her to know such a bit about Chrom,” Severa muttered. Lucina raised an eyebrow.

  
“What was that?”

  
“None of your business, my lady.” Lucina felt an odd sense of teasing from the girl's voice, and something fluttered in her belly when Severa winked at her. The girl was more playful than others gave her credit, Lucina thought. She had a sense of humor.

  
Lucina absentmindedly began to peel another slice for the girl when she noticed the girl opening her mouth and leaning in. “W-what are you doing?” Lucina stuttered at first.

  
“I was hoping my girlfriend would feed me,” Severa asked, her voice still playful, one eye winking at her again. Lucina felt her cheeks growing red as Severa smirked.

  
She held her hand up with the slice an inch away from Severa's face. With voracious hunger, the younger girl leaned in and lapped up the orange. Lucina felt her lips brush the tips of her fingers gently before they retracted and took in the whole orange slice. Severa politely--shyly--turned the other way as Lucina felt her face still burning red. Was Severa's cheeks also burning red?

  
“Why, if this isn't as sweet as a candied lollipop at the Harvest Festival!” A voice interrupted the brief silence that ensued. Two blonde pigtails hopped lightly up and down as Lissa appeared from around the tree with her healer’s staff and kit. Behind her, an out-of-breath Frederick followed. Miriel had returned to the back door bench and contentedly watched them from afar. “I was so surprised to hear about someone getting hurt around you, Lucy.”

  
“Lucy?” Lucina heard Severa murmur under her breath.

  
“And you must be Severa,” Lissa continued as she kneeled down to study the injured girl. “Your mother and I knew each other when we used to be part of the war effort together. I wonder if she ever mentioned dining together with me and my husband. My, you have your mother's lovely red hair.”

  
“No, she never mentioned that,” Severa answered stiffly. Lucina and Frederick glanced at each other, when Lissa smiled at her and gingerly lifted her arms with one hand. This time, the girl did not yelp, but winced only as Lissa’s outstretched free hand stretched over her arm with a staff in grasp. A bright glow emanated from the tip of Lissa’s staff that washed over Severa’s arm and Lucina felt the air around them tingling with the healing magic. Lissa gave a soft click with her tongue when the glow faded and Severa pulled her arm away, nursing it gently. Lucina could tell the arm hurt less so now as Severa examined it more roughly with her uninjured arm.

  
“Thank you,” Severa answered, as if remembering herself, when she looked back to Lissa and then Lucina.

  
“That arm isn’t fully healed yet,” Lissa spoke firmly when she set her staff down besides her. “Arms that have been broken before don’t heal as quickly the second or third time around,” her face quite serious. “My magic notes that yours has been hurt before.”

  
Lucina blinked when Severa’s eyes narrowed at all of them. “That was a dumb accident I had as a child. I fell off my mom’s pegasus when I took her out one night on my own. My mom grounded me for a month after that.”

  
“Prone to falling out of the sky, are we?” Frederick asked, accusingly.

  
“Which is why I don’t fly,” Severa muttered. Lucina found herself chuckling, much to everyone’s surprise. She colored when they all looked at her, especially when Severa smirked. Lucina found herself gaining a dislike for that smirk.

  
“Now, now. I’m surprised Cordelia never told me about this before. I would have helped your arm heal faster as a child, but… she’s always been rather independent in raising you,” Lissa interrupted gracefully. “I wish she would rely on us more.”

  
“My mother is an excellent mother,” Severa retorted. Lissa blinked, before smiling kindly.

  
“I have no doubt about that, Severa,” Lissa remarked. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I didn’t mean it that way. Still, she was a good friend of mine once upon a time, until she left years ago. We were all surprised when she came back with you cradled in her arms.”

  
Lucina blinked. She had always remembered seeing that red roof and a brief flash of red hair marking Cordelia in the distance. Lucina couldn’t remember a time when Cordelia and her shadow of a daughter had not been in that house.

  
“My mother always spoke well of you,” Severa replied quietly, as she looked away. Lissa beamed brightly at that. “...Is Owain well?”

  
“I wasn’t aware the two of you knew each other,” Lissa remarked, amused.

  
“He and I were in the same class,” Severa answered. “He also likes to climb on my rooftop.”

  
“Wait, what?” Lucina and Lissa chorused.

  
“Apparently my house has the best view of the village at night, or at least the street,” Severa retorted. “I find him up there sometimes after sundown.” Lissa started giggling furiously while Lucina marveled at this. How had her cousin made friends with Severa without her knowing?

  
“He’s been as healthy as ever.”

  
Lucina thought she saw a trace of a faint smile on Severa’s lips. “Of course he’d be.” She seemed lost in her thoughts as she wondered about Owain.

  
“Should--should I walk you home now?” Lucina stuttered. She ignored the interested look Lissa gave her while Frederick nodded emphatically. Severa raised her eyebrows before looking away.

  
“Sure,” Severa answered, non-committally.

  
Lucina ignored Lissa's giggles while Frederick sputtered about fetching his armor to escort Lucina.

  
It was to Lucina’s relief that Lissa and Miriel convinced the knight to stay back at the estate. Lissa offered herself as chaperone, much to Lucina's relief. Severa seemed disconcerted, if not mildly annoyed that she had an entourage at all.

  
The walk back was silent. Lissa prompted conversation that trailed off at Severa's curt answers. _When was the last time she saw Cordelia?_ **A month ago.** _How was she holding up living on her own?_ **She was used to it.**

  
_Where was her father?_ **Dead.**

  
The silence that followed that answer was enough to deny more conversation. None of them spoke until they reached Severa's gates. The girl sharply turned to face them.

  
“Well, thanks,” Severa spoke awkwardly at the gate, feet shuffling. Lissa gave them both a bright smile that made Lucina nervous.

  
“I’ll be waiting down the street in front of Maribelle's house, Lucina. Say bye to your friend and catch up with me.” Lissa pointed at Severa's arm. “I’ll be back to check on that in a few days, young lady.” Lucina’s aunt left before Severa could protest, a spring in her step.

  
“I think she knows that…” Severa spoke with a scowl as she watched Lissa disappear around the hedge. “...Well, never mind. I suppose it doesn't matter.”

  
“What?” Lucina asked. Severa shook her head.

  
“Don't fret your pretty head, princess.” Lucina flushed at that. That seemed to make Severa smirk, as she leaned in closer to Lucina. “Does your new clandestine girlfriend make you nervous, Lady Lucina?”

  
“No!” Lucina protested. “You're enjoying this, aren't you?”

  
“That I’m making Chrom’s daughter blush? Absolutely. It would make my mother keel,” Severa answered wickedly. She seemed particularly amused at the thought of her mother's reaction. The pair of them walked through the gates and up to a tall red door.

  
“Do you ever get worried, living alone while your mother is gone?” The question tumbled from Lucina’s mouth. Severa paused mid-step on a short stair up to her door.

  
“Not really,” Severa answered. She turned on the step with a scowl and Lucina was surprised to see her at the same height as she was. “I'm used to it.”

  
“W-Well, that's good.” Severa raised her eyebrows again before a strange smile took over the girl. Lucina looked away, face pink again. She stayed that way, wondering if the girl was still smiling in that frustrating way, until she heard a key clicking into a lock. Lucina looked up to see Severa staring at her, smiling that same smirk, lone good hand falling away from the door knob with the key in hand.

  
“I guess this is good night,” Lucina remarked, her lips suddenly feeling truly dry.

  
Severa stepped back down one step so that she was eye-level with Lucina. “I guess this is, Lucina. I suppose this is where we part.”

  
“You could--uh--come over for oranges again. Whenever.” Severa laughed, and Lucina felt her cheek turn pink. To her surprise, she felt a warm hand brush the right side her face, as Severa stepped closer.

  
Lucina flushed deeper as Severa's face came even closer. She could smell oranges from her breath. For a lingering moment, Lucina froze, before Severa smiled and leaned in, pressing her soft lips against Lucina’s.

  
She tasted of oranges and something else that made Lucina weak in the knees.

  
“Good night, pretend girlfriend,” Severa spoke breathlessly when she pulled herself away, a knowing, teasing tone guiding her. Wicked in all its intent. Severa leaned back and stepped back through the front door, a small smirk on her face as the door shut with her.

  
Lucina stood there, face still as red as before.

  
Severa truly was a witch. Lucina stepped back from the door, staring at the red door frame. It must have been minutes before Lucina left the front porch, fingers pressed against her lips, as she thought of oranges and red hair and--warm lips.

  
Lissa quietly stepped alongside Lucina on the way back up the street to the estate before she finally stopped and cleared her throat. Lucina looked back to see her aunt looking at her with an odd smile. “Aunt Lissa?"

  
“It has come to my attention that I must have a talk with you about what can happen between two adults in private.” Lucina felt the blood from her head drain as Lissa continued with a widening smile. “I thought that I might have to, when your mother died so young, illuminate how a man might get a woman pregnant.” Lucina swore Lissa had a wicked smirk now. “However, as you are courting a woman, that is less relevant and a matter we will discuss at a later time. Nonetheless, sexual intercourse between two women still carries risk and--”

  
Lucina groaned, burying her face in her hands as Lissa continued while giggling. She was going to kill Frederick later.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Title to Chapter: "Lucina Accidentally Gets a Girlfriend"
> 
> Did I write too much? I hope not. I wrote this as a stand-alone one-shot initially, but it's quite possible I'll continue it for several chapters. 
> 
> So welcome to my one-shot that never ends.


End file.
